The insurmountable grief faced by the families of those who have lost their loved ones in the second wave of coronavirus in the country is heart wrenching. However, there are a few moments amidst these distressing times that gives us hope that humanity is resilient.
Setting an example of resilience in the face of catastrophe is Mumbai’s Pascal Saldhana. A mandap decorator by profession, Pascal’s wife undergoes a compulsory dialysis procedure since both her kidneys failed. Watching the pandemic ravaging the population in the mega city, Pascal’s wife requested him to supply oxygen for free to people who are experiencing severe symptoms of the mutated coronavirus.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Pascal said that he has been distributing free oxygen cylinders since April 18. He also said that although his services are free of cost considering the dire situation, there are a few people who give him money to help others.ANI reports that Pascal’s wife has been receiving the dialysis treatment for five years now and frequently visits hospitals. Currently Pascal’s wifeis on dialysis and oxygen support and hence the couple always have a spare cylinder. As the SOS messages for oxygen cylinders grew with the spread of the virus in the city, Pascal received a call from a school principal one day who requested him for oxygen for her husband.On his wife’s request, Pascal gave away the spare cylinder to the lady who needed it urgently. Considering the high demand of oxygen cylinders and cans, Pascal’s wife urged him to reach out to more people. He sold his wife’s jewellery after she insisted and received Rs 80,000 that provided enough capital to start the business of distributing free oxygen cylinders.
Mumbai: A 'mandap decorator', Pascal Saldhana, supplies oxygen for free to people at the request of his wife who is on dialysis for past 5 yrs after both her kidneys failed.He says, " I have been oing this from 18th April. Sometimes people also give me money to help others." pic.twitter.com/oLnSbimkV9
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2021
Many NGOs, entrepreneurs and actors like Sonu Sood have stepped in to assist patients of coronavirus who do not have enough resources to acquire essential equipment like medicines, oxygen cylinders. However, stories of people like Pascal truly show that one does not have to be influential or rich to help people.
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